We’re delighted to announce that a planning application was submitted in January 2020 for the latest Fuse-designed student accommodation project for market-leading developer Vita Group.
The striking building provides 496-studios, a ground floor of ‘hub space’, an external courtyard and is located in the heart of Coventry city centre: immediately adjacent to the listed ‘Quadrant’ building and only 300m from Coventry’s rail station. The prominent site looks over the stunning green open space of the neighbouring Greyfriars Green park and the Vita Student building is part of an emerging larger mixed-use development, the Friargate Masterplan, proposing over 3 million sqft of new development including residential, hotels and office buildings. The site is conveniently located for local amenities and the development will play an important part in the regeneration of this part of the historic city centre.
The project is currently out to tender and a start on site is anticipated in August this year. Final completion is planned for August 2022 – in advance of the beginning of the new academic year. We will keep you up to speed with progress as this amazing project evolves…
Hudson Quarter, the mixed use development now under construction on a prime site by the City Walls in York, is featured this month in the ‘York Review’. The two-acre development on the site of the former Hudson House on Toft Green was designed by Fuse for Palace Capital plc. It will provide 127 luxury apartments, 34,500 sq ft of Grade-A office space and 5,000 sq ft of other commercial uses, located in four buildings around a landscaped central courtyard.
Caddick Construction started on site following a ground breaking ceremony in April 2019 and completion is anticipated in early 2021.
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“This has only been possible by putting in place a specialised team of experts who have driven the project forward and have massively contributed to the high-quality nature of Hudson Quarter.
“We have brought together the ‘best in class’ from the Yorkshire market so, where possible, everyone has good local connections, knowledge and expertise.”
A traditional topping out ceremony has been held on the roof of the Fuse-designed Hudson Quarter development in York after the highest beam was put in place. Work on the Hudson Quarter scheme, located opposite York Railway Station, is on schedule, with contractors having been on site for nine months.
The Bishop of Beverley performed the ceremony on the roof of one of the four buildings on the site, alongside representatives of the developer, Palace Capital, the design team and main contractor, Caddick Construction, marking the completion of the structure of the development.
Neil Sinclair, chief executive of Palace Capital plc, said: “This is an exciting stage in the construction of an iconic development for York.
“The ‘topping out’ is a significant milestone, as we continue to make great progress on the site, which is on schedule to be completed by the end of next year, as planned. Interest in both the offices and apartments has far exceeded our expectations.”
Which is more than can be said for the Christmas tree!
We have been working on the project since early 2017 but the operator for the newbuild, 523 key, 5 star hotel in Prague has been a closely guarded secret. This week however, Hard Rock International has announced that it has signed the deal with our client EP Real Estate to operate the hotel now under construction alongside the Sparta Prague stadium on a site overlooking the Letenské sady (the Letna Park) to the North of the historic Old Town.
Fuse is responsible for the interior design for the entire 600,000 sqft of internal space. We are also providing lighting, audio-visual and wayfinding design and cost consultancy through a series of sub-consultancies. Technical Arts is providing the lighting and AV expertise, Momentum is the wayfinding sub-consultant and Emmaus Consulting is providing the cost advice on the fit-out. We have developed an excellent working relationship with shell architects, Pelcak and Partner, of Brno in the South-East of the Czech Republic and with Gleeds‘ Prague team who are project managers and lead cost consultants.
Other members of the multi-national design team include Tricon (London) who are advising on foodservice and laundry design, procurement agents Parker International (Miami), art consultants Kevin Barry Fine Art (Santa Monica). Structural design, mechanical and electrical engineering, fire safety and acoustics are all provided by local Czech consultants acting as sub-consultants to Pelcak.
Work on an initial enabling works package began on site during the summer. Existing buildings on the site are being cleared and a new road junction is being built. The superstructure is currently out to tender. The hotel is due to open in 2023.
The new building is arranged over 3 basement levels and 7 above-ground floors. As well as the 523 bedrooms and suites, there are substantial convention facilities including a 20,000sqft multi-purpose ballroom and – on the top floor, a full service spa with pool and gym; a spectacular sky bar and signature steakhouse restaurant, all enjoying stunning views towards Prague Castle.
On the ground floor, the substantial lobby houses a cocktail bar, the customary Rock Shop, main, VIP and group check-ins, the ‘Constant Grind’ coffee shop and a sports bar with giant TV screens which will have memorabilia linked to the Sparta football team rather than the music memorabilia from Hard Rock’s amazing collection which will adorn the rest of the building.
The lobby is also linked to a large, external landscaped area known as the ‘Woodstock Lawn which can be used for exhibitions and other events. It includes a raised platform that doubles as a stage and is linked by large elevators to the loading dock below so even cars can be lifted into the space.
From the lobby, a 17m high atrium descends to the basement levels below a huge skylight which floods the lower floors with daylight. Its backdrop is the enormous ‘feature wall’. Extending to over 500sqm, the feature wall is a unique physical manifestation of a sound wave – a piece of music solidified. Hundreds of fins rise from the basement floor to the ground floor ceiling. As they do so, they twist to reveal 2 sound waves which ‘snake’ across the lobby and the pre-function space below.
Within the sound waves, hundreds of LED strips are built into the rear face of the translucent wall. Together, these form giant ‘graphic equaliser’ that listens to the music in the lobby and actually displays a visual interpretation of the music in real time.
When inactive during daylight hours, the LED lines are completely invisible. When active at night, the dancing lines of the sound wave appear from nowhere to bring the wall to life and provide a unique and dynamic backdrop to the entrance experience.
The feature wall incorporates what will probably be the world’s largest memorabilia cabinet – which extends the full 17m from basement floor to ground floor ceiling.
The top floor of the hotel will have some of the best views in Prague. Not only does the building overlook the huge Letenská pláň park, but has stunning views towards Prague Castle to the South-West. The facilities take full advantage of these views.
The pool (opposite, bottom left), spa (opposite top right) and gymnasium occupy the east end of level 06. The pool will operate as part of the spa offering during daylight hours but at night, it can be added to the spectacular sky bar (which occupies the central position on the top floor) for parties and other events. The poolside cabanas become private booths for entertaining. There is even provision for a poolside stage for live music events. A large external terrace enlarges the space further.
At the west end of the floor, and enjoying the best views of Prague Castle, is the steakhouse (opposite bottom right). It has its own private dining room enclosed by giant, glass wine racks and other features include a meat ageing display with walls of back-lit Himalayan salt. Surrounded on 3 sides by large external terraces, it can spill outside during the summer months to increase capacity.
The Fusiliers are currently busy with the detailed construction drawings for the fit out having completed the detailed design stage in October. By next Spring, around 3,000 drawings will document the fit-out in minute detail (not counting the lighting, AV and internal signage!)
In the meantime, two sample rooms are almost finished so the team will be back in Prague next week to review the construction with the client and the Hard Rock operational team.
What an amazing team effort it was!
Palace Capital’s Hudson Rocket, driven by brave Nicola from Caddick Construction, bearing the livery of the Hudson Quarter development in York, thundered down the cobbles on Bank Holiday Monday and made it through to the finals. A remarkable result given that this was the first time the team had entered the event.
The kart, designed for Palace Capital by Fuse, built by Harrison Signs and Caddick Construction, supported by the Ideas Group, Royal Pilgrim Communications and Hudson Moody, also won the ‘Most Innovative Design’ Award. The design was inspired by the Mallard train, a nod to the railway history of York and to railway pioneer George Hudson (who was also Lord Mayor of York) who gives his name to the Hudson Quarter development.
Fuse director Scott Ryalls was one of the ‘pushers’ on the day. But, as you can see in the video, the Rocket was too fast and all the pushers could do was chase it down the course – not easy dressed in a boiler suit in the sweltering heat.
The York Press has a gallery of photographs from the day showing many of the remarkable creations, including an egg, a tardis and a KitKat, that hurtled down Micklegate in the sunshine. The gallery can be seen HERE
The involvement of Fuse as interior designers for the 523 key luxury Hotel Letna in Prague has been revealed in an article on the Forbes website in the Czech Republic. Fuse has been working on the project since early 2017 and the work has now reached the detailed design and construction documentation stage.
The client is a division of EP Real Estate, the development company owned by Czech entrepreneur, Daniel Křetínský, who also owns the Sparta Prague football team.
Fuse is working closely with shell architects Pelčák and Partner of Brno in the Czech Republic and a large team of other Czech consultants including Gleeds Prague office who are acting as overall cost consultants and project managers. Our good friends Technical Arts are designing the internal lighting and audio-visual installations. Emmaus Consulting are cost consultants for the fit-out and Momentum Wayshowing are responsible for the internal signage. All are acting as sub-consultants to Fuse. Together, we are delivering designs for around 600,000 sqft of interior space.
The hotel will be constructed on what is the former training pitch of the Sparta team alongside the Sparta stadium. The site overlooks the Letenská Pláň (Letna Park) and Prague Castle beyond and is a twenty minute walk from the Prague Old Town. The building is arranged over 3 basement levels, ground and six upper floors. Facilities include a ballroom for 2,000 people, rooftop restaurant, sky bar, pool and full service spa – all with spectacular views towards the iconic Castle.
Construction is due to commence in October 2019 with completion due during 2022. Further details of the project will be released over the coming months.
To read a translated version of the Forbes article, click HERE to see a mock-up of the Forbes web page in English.
The 2019 Micklegate Run Soapbox Challenge takes place in York on bank holiday Monday, 26th August. For those unfamiliar with this amazing event, the challenge is a wacky go-kart race where competitors hurtle down a 6-metre ramp near to the Micklegate Bar then rattle their way down the ancient cobbles towards Ouse Bridge.
Our client for the prestigious Hudson Quarter development in York, Palace Capital, is sponsoring the event. It also has an entry in the race, supported by Caddick Construction, the Ideas Group, Harrisons Signs, Royal Pilgrim Communications and Fuse. The Fusiliers came up with the conceptual design for the magnificent vehicle (below). The other companies turned it into a stunning reality (right). The rocket will be driven by Caddick Construction’s Nicola Jones.
The Hudson Rocket is taking part to raise money for Variety, the Children’s Charity A Just Giving page has been set up so you can support this fantastic organisation so please click HERE to go straight to the page and help to make this a successful and worthwhile adventure! Thank you.
Three further award nominations for Fuse have recently been announced.
The Fusiliers are again shortlisted for the Architect of the Year at the 2019 Insider Yorkshire Property Industry Awards. Winners will be announced at the annual property industry dinner on September 19th.
Fuse won the award in 2017 when we were also awarded the Best Architect at the Variety Yorkshire Property Awards.
The full list of this year’s nominees can be seen here.
Then there are two more nominations to add to the long list of accolades for our VITA Student scheme in York (see the Case Study here).
First, the project has reached the final stage of the RTPI Yorkshire Award for Planning Excellence, to be announced in October.
Second, it has been shortlisted for the Brick Awards in the Large Housing Development category. Full shortlist here.
The construction of Angel Gardens will soon be complete on a hugely important gateway site to the City of Manchester which was once home to an eighteenth Century cotton mill built by Richard Arkwright. The development for MODA Living extends to 530,000sq.ft including two levels of underground parking offering 149 car spaces. At ground floor level, 19,000sq.ft of commercial restaurants and cafés will activate the street frontages and a new pedestrian street has been created from Miller Street to Angel Street providing quality public realm faced with commercial units.
The development comprises 4 distinct volumes arranged in a pinwheel plan: a 35-storey tower addressing the key intersection between Miller Street / Rochdale Road / Swan Street / Shudhill; and three 7 storey blocks addressing Miller Street, Angel Street and Angel Mews. The 7-storey block fronting Miller Street has a single storey extension of the external façade system to enclose the rooftop resident amenity facilities.
The architectural designs for Angel Gardens were developed in partnership with Glasgow-based practice HAUS Collective. Fuse started work on the project in April 2014.
Caddick Construction has been responsible for the build.
Video courtesy of Manc Plod YouTube Channel. Thumbnail photo on projects page courtesy of Matthew T Dalrymple (@MattTDalrymple)
2019 has been a very busy time for the Fusiliers as we have had several projects under construction or soon to be on site.
We’ve been putting on the hard hats for Palace Capital, Vita Group, Hard Rock International, Slingsby Gin, Code Student, Rushbond plc, Leeds College of Building and Zizzi Restaurants. Sectors covered include retail, workplace, further education, residential, student housing hospitality.
Here’s a quick snapshot of some of those schemes…
